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Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) Related Environmental and Health Problems: Second Edition

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2023) | Viewed by 6520

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Masayuki Sakakibara

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, Kamigamo, Kita-ku, Kyoto 603-8047, Japan
2. Graduate School of Science & Engineering, Ehime University, Matsuyama City 790-8577, Ehime Prefecture, Japan
3. Faculty of Collaborative Regional Innovation, Ehime University, Matsuyama City 790-8577, Ehime Prefecture, Japan
Interests: interdisciplinary research; environmental exposures; environmental science; environmental health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Win Thiri Kyaw

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, Kamigamo, Kita-ku, Kyoto 603-8047, Japan
Interests: clinical pharmacology; neurology and neuroscience; environmental and health impact assessment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. José Luis Rivera Parra

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito EC170150, Ecuador
Interests: impacts of human activities including ASGM on ecosystems and how to mitigate them; using spatial ecology and landscape genetics techniques, environmental risk assessments and development of the environmental quality biomonitors and bioremediation processes with plants and fungi
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Considering the success of the first edition of the Special Issue “Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) Related Environmental and Health Problems”, we would like to launch a second edition to further investigate hot topics in this field. 

Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) activity has been undertaken in developing countries for socio-economic reasons; however, it accounts for the largest anthropogenic source of mercury emissions, with over 700 tonnes being released into the atmosphere and an additional 800 tonnes into land and water annually, exposing both ASGM miners and nearby communities. Moreover, heavy metals other than mercury have also been released into the environment due to ASGM, causing further environmental disruption and health problems not only in ASGM communities but across whole nations, too. Although there have been a number of studies related to mercury and its impact on the environment and health, there is still a need for more in-depth assessment and exploration of solutions for this issue. 

This Special Issue is open to all research related to the environmental and health problems posed by ASGM and its management. Topics of interest include:

  • Environmental pollution and related health issues caused by ASGM;
  • Water quality changes, deforestation and land degradation, and mining waste caused by ASGM and its management;
  • Impact of ASGM on ecosystems;
  • Indicators of mercury and heavy-metal pollution;
  • Mercury- and other heavy-metal-related health problems in the ASGM context, and their bioindicators;
  • Transdisciplinary approach solutions for ASGM-related problems.

Dr. Masayuki Sakakibara
Dr. Win Thiri Kyaw
Dr. José Luis Rivera Parra
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • ASGM (Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining)
  • mercury exposure
  • heavy metals
  • environmental pollution
  • health impact
  • mining waste
  • cardiovascular
  • respiratory
  • bioindicator

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (3 papers)

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26 pages, 6064 KiB  
Article
Environment Degradation, Health Threats, and Legality at the Artisanal Small-Scale Gold Mining Sites in Indonesia
by Ami A. Meutia, Dianto Bachriadi and Nurfitri Abdul Gafur
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(18), 6774; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20186774 - 17 Sep 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1791
Abstract
Artisanal Small-scale Gold Mining (ASGM) activities, despite offering numerous economic incentives, inflict negative impacts on the environment and public health due to the use of mercury or cyanide. This study aims to compare three ASGM locations in Indonesia in terms of environmental impacts [...] Read more.
Artisanal Small-scale Gold Mining (ASGM) activities, despite offering numerous economic incentives, inflict negative impacts on the environment and public health due to the use of mercury or cyanide. This study aims to compare three ASGM locations in Indonesia in terms of environmental impacts and potential health problems in the community. As part of this research, field surveys at three ASGM illegal locations with different conditions, observations, literature studies, and interviews with the community and stakeholders were conducted. At each of the survey sites, the potential threat to public health due to the use of mercury was determined to be high. Additionally, many of the environmental impacts detected were deemed to have reached a high-alert stage, in some cases even posing a level of extreme danger. Based on these results, it has become clear that a form of mining management which reduces the negative impacts on the surrounding environment and community health is needed. The suggestions put forward in this paper, including the call for greater control of ASGM, may also be applied in other developing countries which suffer from similar problems and conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) Related Environmental and Health Problems: Second Edition)
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22 pages, 5525 KiB  
Article
Rural Knowledge Transformation in Terms of Mercury Used in Artisanal Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM)—A Case Study in Gorontalo, Indonesia
by Andi Patiware Metaragakusuma, Masayuki Sakakibara, Yayu Indriati Arifin, Sri Manovita Pateda and Mohamad Jahja
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(17), 6640; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20176640 - 24 Aug 2023
Viewed by 1736
Abstract
Gorontalo is reputed to be one of the best-quality gold producers in the Indonesian archipelago. Gold production has been largely achieved through the activities of artisanal small-scale gold mining (ASGM), which as part of its extraction process, primarily uses mercury—a substance known to [...] Read more.
Gorontalo is reputed to be one of the best-quality gold producers in the Indonesian archipelago. Gold production has been largely achieved through the activities of artisanal small-scale gold mining (ASGM), which as part of its extraction process, primarily uses mercury—a substance known to cause negative impacts on health and the environment, leading also to numerous socio-economic issues. This research aims (1) to investigate the extent of rural knowledge regarding mercury and to determine whether a video that explains mercury and the problems that occur as a result of ASGM can significantly transform rural populations’ knowledge; (2) to inspect different factors separating the SR group (those who live in the same regency as the ASGM area) from the NR group (those who live in the neighboring regency/city of the ASGM area) and to find out whether said factors are statistically significant. The results show that the test subjects’ knowledge of mercury had increased after watching the video, and that their willingness to oppose ASGM activities is one of the significant factors within the two groups. Moreover, this paper briefly describes the follow-up activities of the SRIREP project (Co-creation of Sustainable Regional Innovation for Reducing Risk of High-impact Environmental Pollution) in encouraging rural communities to explore sustainable livelihoods as an alternative to ASGM. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) Related Environmental and Health Problems: Second Edition)
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Other

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13 pages, 2630 KiB  
Perspective
Global Human Threat: The Potential Synergism between Mercury Intoxication and COVID-19
by Gabriela de Paula Arrifano, Marcus Augusto-Oliveira, Amanda Lopes-Araújo, Letícia Santos-Sacramento, Barbarella Matos Macchi, José Luiz Martins do Nascimento and Maria Elena Crespo-Lopez
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(5), 4207; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20054207 - 27 Feb 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2465
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic affected billions of people worldwide, and exposure to toxic metals has emerged as an important risk factor for COVID-19 severity. Mercury is currently ranked as the third toxic substance of global concern for human health, and its emissions to the [...] Read more.
The COVID-19 pandemic affected billions of people worldwide, and exposure to toxic metals has emerged as an important risk factor for COVID-19 severity. Mercury is currently ranked as the third toxic substance of global concern for human health, and its emissions to the atmosphere have increased globally. Both COVID-19 and mercury exposure present a high prevalence in similar regions: East and Southeast Asia, South America and Sub-Saharan Africa. Since both factors represent a multiorgan threat, a possible synergism could be exacerbating health injuries. Here, we discuss key aspects in mercury intoxication and SARS-CoV-2 infection, describing the similarities shared in clinical manifestations (especially neurological and cardiovascular outcomes), molecular mechanisms (with a hypothesis in the renin-angiotensin system) and genetic susceptibility (mainly by apolipoprotein E, paraoxonase 1 and glutathione family genes). Literature gaps on epidemiological data are also highlighted, considering the coincident prevalence. Furthermore, based on the most recent evidence, we justify and propose a case study of the vulnerable populations of the Brazilian Amazon. An understanding of the possible adverse synergism between these two factors is crucial and urgent for developing future strategies for reducing disparities between developed and underdeveloped/developing countries and the proper management of their vulnerable populations, particularly considering the long-term sequelae of COVID-19. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) Related Environmental and Health Problems: Second Edition)
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